Lark Buns

This recipe is a "fasting" recipe, i.e. no animal products. Hmmm... were the Russian Orthodox the first vegans?

Lark Buns 

(for pictures of what the steps look like, consult the recipe I am translating)

For the dough:

• 2 c. water
• 2 T. fresh yeast (I used dry...)
• 1/4-1/2 cup sugar
• 1 t. "vanilla sugar" (I have bought this in Poland, but has anyone ever seen it in the US?)
• 1 t. salt
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 6-8 cups of flour
• raisins for decoration
• vegetable oil or sweet tea to brush buns

To prepare:

Make your yeast dough. Let it rise in a warm place.

Roll out the dough and divide it into 40 pieces. (I actually made 1/2 of this recipe.)

Roll each piece between your hands into a snake and then tie it into a knot. The "head" needs two tiny pieces of raisin for eyes (cut the raisins into small pieces) and pinch the end to look like a beak. Take the "tail" and spread it out a little, cutting "feathers" with a knife.

Place the birds on a greased cookie sheet and let them rise for a while. 

Brush the birds with oil or sweet tea. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. When you take them out of the oven, remove from the tray and place on a wooden surface, spritzing them with a little water and covering them up for 10-15 minutes.

Priiatnogo appetita! (i.e. Bon appetit!)

I am going to make these again and try to make them "non-fasting," i.e. with some milk and butter instead of water and oil. And I will definitely take a picture!